Docker Container Backup & Restore Scripts

This repository contains scripts designed to back up and restore Docker containers and their associated volumes. These scripts are compatible with both Windows and Linux operating systems.

• Backup Script: Creates backups of Docker containers and their volumes, saving them to a specified directory.
• Restore Script: Restores a Docker container and its volumes from a backup directory.

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🛠️ Requirements

For Linux:

• Docker Engine
• Bash shell
• jq for JSON parsing (for inspecting Docker volumes)

For Windows:

• Docker Desktop for Windows
• PowerShell (v5+)
• jq for JSON parsing (optional but recommended)

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📋 Backup Script Overview

The backup script performs the following actions:

1. Create a Docker image of the specified container.
2. Backup named volumes associated with the container.
3. Save the image and volumes to a user-specified backup directory for future restoration.

How to Use:

1. Save the script as Backup-DockerContainer.sh (for Linux) or Backup-DockerContainer.ps1 (for Windows).

2. Run the script based on your operating system:

   For Linux:

   bash Backup-DockerContainer.sh

   For Windows:

   .\Backup-DockerContainer.ps1

3. Follow the interactive prompts to:

   • Enter the container name to back up.
   • Provide a directory where the backup will be saved.
   • Optionally, back up associated volumes.

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🔄 Restore Script Overview

The restore script allows you to:

1. Load a Docker image from a .tar backup file.
2. Restore named volumes from backup .tar files.
3. Create and run the restored container using the loaded image and restored volumes.

How to Use:

1. Save the script as Restore-DockerContainer.sh (for Linux) or Restore-DockerContainer.ps1 (for Windows).

2. Run the script based on your operating system:

   For Linux:

   bash Restore-DockerContainer.sh

   For Windows:

   .\Restore-DockerContainer.ps1

3. Follow the interactive prompts to:

   • Enter the backup directory.
   • Specify a name for the restored container.
   • Optionally, restore volumes.
   • Optionally, start the container immediately.

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📁 Backup Directory Structure (Expected)

For both scripts, the backup directory should have the following structure:

C:\Backups\mycontainer\2025-04-30_15-23-00\   (Windows)
or
/home/user/Backups/mycontainer/2025-04-30_15-23-00/   (Linux)
├── mycontainer-image-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
├── myvolume1-backup-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
├── myvolume2-backup-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar

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💬 Sample Interaction

Backup Script:

Linux:

$ bash Backup-DockerContainer.sh
Enter the Docker container name to back up: mycontainer
Enter the full path where you want the backup to be stored: /home/user/Backups/mycontainer/2025-04-30_15-23-00
Starting backup for container: mycontainer
Creating image from container...
Container image saved to: /home/user/Backups/mycontainer/2025-04-30_15-23-00/mycontainer-image-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
...
Backup completed successfully.

Windows (PowerShell):

Enter the Docker container name to back up: mycontainer
Enter the full path where you want the backup to be stored: C:\Backups\mycontainer\2025-04-30_15-23-00
Starting backup for container: mycontainer
Creating image from container...
Container image saved to: C:\Backups\mycontainer\2025-04-30_15-23-00\mycontainer-image-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
...
Backup completed successfully.

Restore Script:

Linux:

$ bash Restore-DockerContainer.sh
Enter the full path to the backup folder (e.g., /home/user/Backups/mycontainer/2025-04-30_15-23-00): /home/user/Backups/mycontainer/2025-04-30_15-23-00
Loading Docker image from: mycontainer-image-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
Do you want to restore volumes as well? (yes/no): yes
Restoring volume: myvolume1 from myvolume1-backup-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
Do you want to create and run the container now? (yes/no): yes
Container 'mycontainer' has been created and is running.

Windows (PowerShell):

Enter the full path to the backup folder (e.g., C:\Backups\mycontainer\2025-04-30_15-23-00): C:\Backups\mycontainer\2025-04-30_15-23-00
Loading Docker image from: mycontainer-image-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
Do you want to restore volumes as well? (yes/no): yes
Restoring volume: myvolume1 from myvolume1-backup-2025-04-30_15-23-00.tar
Do you want to create and run the container now? (yes/no): yes
Container 'mycontainer' has been created and is running.

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⚠️ Notes

• Backup:

  • The script creates an image of the container and saves it as a .tar file.
  • Volumes associated with the container are backed up as .tar files.
  • If no volumes are attached to the container, the script skips volume backup.

• Restore:

  • The script restores the container image and volumes.
  • Volumes are restored to Docker volumes or specific host paths.
  • The restored container can be started immediately after restoration.

• Volume Restoration:

  • Ensure that the application inside the volumes is capable of handling restored data.
  • Volumes are restored to Docker volumes or specific host paths.

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🧾 License

This repository is licensed under the MIT License. Feel free to modify and distribute the scripts as needed.